Style & Fashion

Cheat Sheet: Jericho Rosales Shines His Shoes—Here's How You Can Master This Therapeutic Skill, Too

Get this: Jericho Rosales claims he's been shining his shoes since he was 12 and that it's a therapeutic way of switching off for him. We can't help but agree that whether you're a man or a woman, something is oddly relaxing about having an array of buffed, clean, and shiny shoes line your closet. Here are a couple of tips given to us by dads with military school experience. Shoe shining is a basic life skill bestowed upon proper ladies and gentlemen, and knowing how is another level of sophistication to reach!

WHAT YOU NEED IN YOUR LEATHER SHOE SHINE KIT:

1. Liquid shoe polish

2. Classic waxy shoe polish in the tin or shoe cream

3. A clean shoe brush for polish application and a softer natural bristled shoe brush for buffing after the application step

4. A clean flannel cloth / trapo or rag, and another rag for buffing the wax

BASIC STEPS FOR SHINING SHOES (NOT APPLICABLE TO SUEDE SHOES):

1. Use the clean shoe brush to dust off your shoe in brisk back and forth motions, make sure to remove any dirt or mud stuck to the shoe edges before doing this. You don't want to apply the shoe shine products to a dirty, dusty shoe. Also dampen your clean rag to wipe off the shoe and allow it to dry before next step.

2. Apply your liquid shoe polish all over the leather body. The polish should be the same color as your shoe. Allow 5-10 minutes for the polish to dry. If you're doing several shoes you can dust and polish several pairs and leave them then return for this next step.

3. Come back with your natural hair or softer bristled brush and vigorously buff the shoe with back and forth motions (preferrably, if you have different colored shoes have a brush for each to preserve color), this is for the first level of shine.

4. Using one soft flannel rag or shine rag, wrap and cover your index finger with the rag while still clutching it, dip your covered finger in the wax-based shoe polish in the right color (the one in the tin) or shoe cream after and do circular motions all over the shoe for the second level of shine. To see that circular method, watch it here being done by a military dude. Buff with clean rag afterwards. You will feel a sense of accomplishment once you do an entire row of shoes for sure!